Excited my 1st solo travel book is published!

(Last Updated On: November 28, 2021)

Heya guys, I’m so excited to announce my debut solo travel book: You Yourself & the World is published and available on Amazon and kindle.

I wanted to give you guys an insight into why and how the book came to be, why It’s written in this specific style and most importantly how it can help you for your future travels.

We may not be able to travel normally right now but we can prepare to travel for the future and my solo travel book is here to help you.

Premise of You, Yourself & the World

Table of Contents

You Yourself and the World is is a long term solo travel book to help give you a deeper understanding of long term solo travel life. It takes you behind the fluffy façade it sometimes is perceived to be – So you’re not left underprepared or overwhelmed when you embark on your journey in the future (when It’s safe to), like so many first time travelers are.

The books helps you overcome any fears, concerns or questions about long term solo travel that may stop and get in the way of you taking the leap in the future. That fear is a defensive mechanism that usually derives from a lack of understanding. You Yourself & the World will help you overcome and help you gain an understanding of the unknown.

Layout of the solo travel book

I toyed around with around with a few different ways for the book layout and eventually landed on the idea of it being set in a questions and answers format. I think it helps the information digest easier and also be used as a reference point for future use. There is a lot of information in the book so it may not all sink in at first.

Each question, is split into different sections, the questions are answered in a short form overview followed by a longer detailed answer. Each question also includes bullet pointed hints, tips and advice to got along with the breakdown of the long answer.

Example of the book format:

(The long answer goes into much further detail than what is shown in the above image)

How did You Yourself & the world come to be?

Well, to be honest by accident. Back in 2019, while traveling through Malaysia and Borneo, the energy around was so strong, something prompted me to write. I was inspired to write my travel memoir of (at the time it was 9 years of traveling.)

I spent a couple of weeks mapping the memoir out, in doing so a lot of memories and thoughts came flooding back.

As you can imagine after 9 years of solo traveling around the world a lot of memories had been forgotten about. As these memories came flooding back, many of the thoughts and fears I had pre-travel life also appeared. They were the same fears, concerns, questions I’ve been asked all over the world by countless first time travelers seeking advice.

My journey started in 2010 so much has changed over the years, there is a new generation of travelers, but newbie in 2019 had the same fears and concerns. I took it on board but continued to map out and start writing the memoir.

Nazare, Portugal

My travels through Malaysia were over and I found myself back in Portugal yet again. My travels that year started in Portugal.

Side Note: I was meant to travel through Europe in 2019, but after I left Portugal and traveled through Spain, instead of heading into France I wound up back in Portugal. So how did I end up in Malaysia? Well it was an off the cuff spontaneous decision, while looking for a place to rent for the summer I ended up just randomly buying a ticket to Malaysia. If you want to know more, My backpacking life doesn’t go to plan will explain.

Anyways, after Malaysia I was back in Portugal, there is something so magical about that country for me. The memoir had started and I needed somewhere with the same energy but also the beach. Nazare was that place. It was winter, but Nazare is home to the big wave, and the perfect location to continue the book.

The first, second and third drafts were complete and with Christmas approaching the idea was to head home to England do something I’ve rarely done in the past 10 years and spent Christmas and New years at home.

Same old TRAVEL questions even after all these years

It was great seeing family and old friends but even after all these years people were still asking the same questions: How do I do it? How’s it possible to keep traveling for so long? What’s It like? Isn’t it lonely? How can I afford it?

I realised those same travel questions keep getting fired because there is a huge lack of understanding about long term solo travel. It’s perceived traveling the world is expensive, yeah It can be but with the right research and knowhow it can be as cheap as you make it. I know that because I’ve learnt it from experience and have extensive knowledge how to, however they don’t. It’s that lack of understanding.

Christmas and New years came and went, I was ready to leave but then a world pandemic hit and I was stuck at home. The one place where I detest being stuck. I had no choice but to continue writing my memoir at home.

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Solo travel FAQ’s

There I was, continuing to write the memoir, at the same time I gave this website a bit of an update of old posts when I came across a popular post Solo Travel FAQ’s. Those same travel questions I had been asked by people who didn’t understand, those first time travelers over the years and my old thoughts were there on this post.

It was right there it dawned on me I’d been writing the wrong type of book up to this point. The memoir was on hold, I switched gears and started writing this solo travel book.

You Yourself & the World was born

The memoir was pushed to the back of my mind, I switched full focus onto this solo travel book. The first draft was complete but the questions were all over the place. The second draft was a clean-up, questions put into specific sections, research into things I’d missed were added, more questions were added. The third draft breathed into It’s own life.

This process started in June 2020 and lasted until November which included a copious amount of coffee, re-write after re-write, back and forth with some other long term travelers and some newbies.

I had to reach deep into the well of knowledge and experience I’ve gained from traveling all over the world since 2010, my own experiences, people I’ve met over the years.

It was finally done, raw, unedited full of grammatical and punctuation errors but it was done – I had a manuscript. It was real. All there was left to do was sent it to the editor, get the cover designed and put the book together. By January 7th 2021 It was put together in It’s final form.

WHY YOU YOURSELF & THE WORLD?

Why that title? Because that is what long term solo traveling is – It’s you, It’s your inner self (learning to like yourself, confronting overcoming demons, learning about yourself, understanding and being one with yourself) and you & yourself are out in the world.

WHERE CAN YOU BUY THE solo travel BOOK and how much is it?

The book is available exclusive on kindle for first 3 months from date of publishing with Kindle Select. The book costs £5.99 but If you have kindle unlimited you will be able to read the book for FREE.

How does You Yourself & the World help you?

You Yourself & the World will help you prepare for your future travels. It teaches you how you can gain confidence, learn about what long term solo travel life is really like before you even begin. You get the chance to understand the unknown, control and defeat fears and anxiety about long term solo travel and you get to dive into my wealth of knowledge.

You’re getting first hand advice, tips, and insights to those travel questions that get fired at you by somebody who lives this life on a daily basis. On your future travels, if you come across situations and circumstances, you will be adequately prepared to deal with them.

And you will get a sense through this book if long term solo travel will be for you or not. While anybody can attempt it, It’s not for everyone. Will it be for you? Read the book and find out!

what a 10 year journey

Who would have thought back in 2010, I’d be sitting here in January 2021 having lived a decade of long term solo traveling and as an Author of this solo travel book– Not me that’s for sure! I can’t even imagine what my life would have turned out like if I didn’t overcome the fear and took the leap. Now It’s your turn!